What is going on with the price of freon?

On December 31, 1995 something happened that affected every man, woman, and child in the civilized world. This is the date that the Montreal Protocol and the U.S. Clean Air Act went into effect. This act was the legislation that made it much more expensive to service your fridge, your car’s a/c, and your home’s comfort system just to name a few. This is the act that started the phase out of ozone depleting products such as r-22 and r-12 (Freon).

Here are some highlights of this legislation and some of the fall out.

-the reasoning behind this act was to help prevent ozone depletion, which studies have suggested are caused in part by these types of products, Freon.

-This act makes it illegal to vent hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorodiflouromethane (CFCs) (otherwise known as freon) into the atmosphere. Raising the cost of servicing equipment.

-The Montreal Protocol calls for the phase out of all production of CFCs by the year 2020. Please note: this date has been changed a number of times.

-The price of Freon has multiplied ten fold since the inception of this act, more importantly it has more then tripled in the past year.

-It is estimated that this process has caused every man, woman and child more than $850 each through increased food production costs, shipping costs and retrofitting old equipment to just name a few.

-Even after 18 years since this legislation, it still has not been proven that ozone depleting chemicals are a real threat or just misguided studies and manufactures lobbyist doing their thing.